1979 China went to war with Vietnam. Why did you choose February 17?

Core Tip: Tactically speaking, China has not been kind enough to inform his opponent of every punch. Then why did he choose February 17? We can't know the mystery. In short, in the early morning of that Saturday, on the 500-kilometer Sino-Vietnamese border, nine Vietnamese soldiers were divided into two roads, starting from Guangxi and Yunnan respectively.

Phoenix TV's "Phoenix Vision" on May 20, the following is a written record:

Chen Xiaonan: Hello, this is Phoenix Vision. Starting today, we are concerned about a war. It happened in 1979, not far from us. The smell of smoke is still there, and deep memories are still there. But for various reasons, the details and true meaning of this war have been little known. In a narrow sense, the Sino-Vietnamese War refers to the border war between China and Vietnam from1February 1979 17 to1March 1979 16. In a broad sense, the Sino-Vietnamese War refers to the continuous military conflict on the Sino-Vietnamese border from 1979 to 1989. Let's talk today.

Huang Qinggong: When this nation is in danger, any ordinary people should say an old saying of China: Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.

Dang Yuean: I am strong enough. No matter what I see, I won't cry. When I think about it, tears will collapse in that place. You can't control it.

Liu Jun: Now I'm facing retirement. Once you need me, I will go to the front to defend my country.

Commentary: Huang Qing, Liu Jun and Dang Yuean were all tank soldiers in the Sino-Vietnamese War. We can feel that the war has had a profound impact on their lives, so how did it come about?

1978 65438+1October 28th, Deng Xiaoping came to the United States during the Chinese New Year in China, and frankly confirmed to the Americans that Vietnamese troops had assembled on the Sino-Vietnamese border.

Hu Yungui:1February 8, 978, we received an order from our superiors to go to the front line in Guangxi, and our tank regiment began to go here on February 8.

Ding Xianxian: At first, it was not obvious that there were other tasks. According to our soldiers, no matter what task or job we do, it actually includes training, and that is preparing for war.

Commentary: At that time, the situation was overcast. Vietnam constantly invaded the Sino-Vietnamese border and invaded China's ally Cambodia in 1978, posing a serious threat to the security around China. In the United States, Deng Xiaoping was asked by reporters about the large-scale armed invasion of Cambodia by Viet Nam, and said during the provocation in the border area of China. If there is no necessary lesson, I am afraid that any other method will not be effective. The reporter also asked what action China's army might take.

Liu Jun: Before mobilization, it was very simple. Vietnamese bully our overseas Chinese. Another thing is that Vietnam has become the third military power. After Deng Xiaoping returned from a visit to the United States, we came to this place before the Spring Festival, and we will fight after the Spring Festival.

Commentary: Deng Xiaoping is a man who keeps his promise. Once he has made up his mind, nothing can change. Mao Zedong once commented that he was soft and firm, hiding a needle in cotton, and accused him of never changing his mind. In fact, the battle has been decided in Deng Xiaoping's mind, but the whole world is speculating on the exact date when it will start, and even the frontline soldiers are carrying out orders with such doubts.

Ding Xianxian: At that time, no one could decide whether to fight or not. This was decided by the higher authorities, the Central Military Commission and the Central Committee. I don't know this thing. In a word, the whole army is advancing.

Commentary: The war hasn't started yet, but the suspense atmosphere has been done enough, and the soldiers are beginning to feel that the situation is unusual.

Liu Jun: At first, mobilization was very simple. That place in Vietnam doesn't eat or drink. You smoke, he asks for a cigarette, so I can catch the prisoner. Then we'll have dinner here. He wants to eat, so that he can catch a prisoner. They all contribute.

Hu Yungui: Compared with our troops, our advantages are 20: 1, artillery 15: 1, and the plane seems to be 9: 1, which has boosted our morale.

Chen Xiaonan: On February 7th, 1979, Agence France-Presse reported in Hanoi that Viet Nam remained calm about Deng Xiaoping's recent threats and said that it would never panic. 10 On 30 February, an article in far eastern economic review claimed that China had assembled 16 troops, 700 planes and a large number of armored vehicles and cannons at the border. China people are serious. They spend a lot of money. They will put it into action. At the same time, Xinhua, the People's Daily in China, is constantly releasing news about the Vietnamese border. Each side is running in its own orbit according to the established orbit, and the resultant force of all this will inevitably lead to February 17.

On February 6th, 1979, China People's Daily published an article entitled "What is tolerable? , officially announced in a limited time, space and scale of self-defense counterattack with Vietnam, defend the frontier. This clearly tells the world that the war has begun, and China's army division is famous, so it is ready to attack. Please remind the audience first, and then start fighting. Tactically, China is not merciful enough to inform his opponent of every punch, so why did he choose February 17? We can't know the mystery. In short, in the early morning of that Saturday, on the 500-kilometer Sino-Vietnamese border, nine Vietnamese soldiers were divided into two roads, starting from Guangxi and Yunnan respectively.

Commentary: Ding Zaiyi was the head of the original 42 nd Army Tank Regiment. As a middle-level commander at the forefront, he didn't know that he was really going to fight until three days before the war.

Mr. Ding Xian: The combat mission was given in the evening of 14. At that time, it seemed that Hua Guofeng had said such a few words. Since everyone thinks it is necessary to fight, let's fight. That's what I said. Fight.

Commentary:1979 February 14, the central military commission ordered the whole army to enter the first-level combat readiness, and the arrow was on the string, and all nerves from generals to soldiers were tightened.

Dang Yue 'an: When we were at war, those who swore to the north and Tiananmen Square were willing to take a step forward and die, but we could not take a step back.

Commentary: This is the swearing-in meeting of Party Yue 'an's unit, that is, the 42nd Army Tank Regiment. Although there has been no war for more than ten years, it seems that the traditional heroism of the PLA has not been reduced by half.

Liu Jun: I didn't join the army until 1989. I think a soldier should fight. A soldier should be prepared. I have a clear conscience. I should fight.

Commentary: Everything is ready, and the decisive moment will follow. 1in the early morning of February, 979, the scene we became familiar with later began.

Dang Yuean: Our real general attack started at 6: 40 on February 17. The whole sky was dyed red. Our tanks don't need lights at all. In the market, there are many people like us around us. It was fierce. It's already dawn at eight o'clock. I watched it there and came out to watch it.

Hu Yungui: Yes, lights, guns and all kinds of guns have gone to the front line in Vietnam. They have been popular for a long time and are very powerful. At that time, our tanks advanced slowly and the infantry rushed forward.

Commentary: In military terms, this is called artillery preparation. First, destroy the enemy's fortifications in a carpet way, and then infantry, tank soldiers and other arms began to enter the real battlefield.

Hu Yungui: I basically didn't sleep that night. I drank all the coffee and ate compressed biscuits. Everyone makes coffee and puts it in the kettle. That night, there was a military situation up there. I let you drink coffee, which means you didn't sleep at all that night.

Commentary: In fact, without coffee, the soldiers wouldn't fall asleep at all. We are all recruits who have never really fought. Now that the war is just around the corner, the stimulation of adrenaline keeps them awake all night.

Hu Yungui: 17 was very nervous in the morning, but we were also a little worried. Anyway, many soldiers were a little scared at first, and many wounded people were carried out before entering the border. As a result, after we slowly entered, everyone's soldiers were not afraid. In any case, soldiers must obey orders and sacrifice.

Dang Yuean: It's already dawn at eight o'clock. I looked there and then came out, and found that our tank had not disappeared. There were too many people to start, so I just stood there and counted. This is our curiosity. How many wounded soldiers were brought back and counted? The more I count, the more I can count. I can't count them.

Commentary: Before the foot stepped out of the country, the cruelty of the war came to my face, and the body came from the infantry in front.

Hu Yungui: The speed of infantry is too slow. Infantry can't hold them and their strength. Our mechanized troops cooperate with him, and the infantry can fight whatever they want. It's dawn in the morning. After the infantry hit too hard, the soldiers moved slowly along the trench like loaches.

Commentary: It is very difficult and tragic, but it can't stop the enthusiasm of young people who have just come into contact with the war. They all have their own missions to accomplish. The task of the 42 nd army tank regiment is to insert. Together with their brothers, they will quickly reach the goal of the first phase of the battle-Gaoping, a major town in northern Vietnam, 80 kilometers away. The purpose is to break the enemy's retreat and prevent the enemy from reinforcing. The time given to them by their superiors is three hours.

Ding Xianxian: Judging from our whole route, it is no problem to get to Gaoping in three hours. We can arrive in three hours. March in the usual way, of course, but your battle is different.

Commentary: Gaoping is the capital of Gaoping province in Vietnam, an important military stronghold in northern Vietnam and an important strategic goal in the first stage of this war. At 7: 40 a.m. on February 1979, Ding Xian set out with his tank regiment, and it would be unexpected hardships to meet them.

Chen Xiaonan: To reach Gaoping, a strategic place, we must first break through the nearest pass to the border-Dongxia. The straight-line distance from Guangxi to Dongxia is only about 20 kilometers, but there are countless cliffs between the two places, and there are six bridges along the way, among which five wooden bridge tanks are impassable. It is a dangerous place that cannot be forced for thousands of years, and one person guards it. How will Ding Xian and his tank regiment solve this huge problem?

It is said that before the Vietnam War, there was a famous saying in the Vietnamese army that one Vietnamese soldier could deal with ten Vietnamese soldiers. Of course, we can regard it as a good self-awareness of Vietnamese, but the conceit of Vietnamese authorities and Vietnamese army at that time also had its material basis. 1973 after the United States defeated Vietnam, Vietnam seized more than $20 billion worth of military equipment. At this time, Vietnam should have taken advantage of the post-war peace and good international and surrounding environment to vigorously develop its economy and get a rest. Moreover, 1978 saw a once-in-a-century flood in Vietnam, which lost 4.3 million tons of grain. However, they chose to use military expansion to solve domestic economic problems, and their belligerence reached its peak, expanding the war of aggression against Cambodia and intensifying the contradiction between China and Vietnam.

Ding Xianxian: Actually, this road is as wide as a tank. That bridge, our tanks are on the bridge, and the tracks on both sides of the track are still overhead 10 cm, 20 cm. That is to say, this road is very narrow, so it is really limited by such a large mechanical force.

Commentary: According to our commander's ideal design, tanks are used as the main weapon, heavy artillery on tanks is used instead of self-propelled artillery, and we can directly attack the enemy's caves, attack the enemy's strengths with our strengths, and cover the infantry's positions with hard work. To this end, 300 tanks were invested before and after the attack on Gaoping, but an unexpected situation is that the terrain complexity of the whole north is far beyond imagination.

Huang Celebration: Although a lot of drills, drills, trainings and simulations have been done, there are several places in the whole process that are not as expected, because the terrain is too complicated.

Hu Yungui: It was miserable at first, but then I slowly went in, because the road in Vietnam was very small and tanks had to be squeezed to get in.

Commentary: Fighting is not a slow stroll. The soldiers of the 42nd Army Tank Regiment fell into great anxiety. The road under their feet cannot move. The fire of the Vietnamese army is in front, and the order is behind. It is impossible to reach Gaoping in three hours. In fact, the tank regiment that took the lead in three hours basically only walked more than one kilometer. What's more, the motorcade stopped completely after driving for more than one kilometer.

Huang Qing: It's about one kilometer after entering the city, not far. After entering the city, you enter a hole. When you can't pass, there are small holes on both sides of the stone. Finally, as soon as the tank passed, it was very troublesome. Basically, the tank hit it. After the collision, the tank passed through. It was a hole. In the past, because there was a battalion of Type 59 tanks ahead, it opened the way in front of us. When it crossed a small bridge in front, it was a small bridge.

Commentary: It was a narrow river valley with a small bridge on it, but the width of the bridge was obviously not as wide as the tank's body, so the tank had to wade through it.

Huang Qing: The small bridge can't bear tanks, so it goes to the right of the river and the right of the bridge, so the infantry can go. Because several tanks passed by in front, we followed this route behind it. No, we just took the No.2 bus, that is, the 1 bus was the guiding car, and the No.2 bus was in a long queue, and then it got stuck.

Commentary: A tank is stuck in the river, and the sinking place is the only place that can pass. As a result, more than 100 tanks in the back can only watch helplessly, and the engineers are trying to repair it, but time is ruthlessly passing.

Ding Xian: Usually, we walk on the expressway. This place can't pass me, and that place can't pass me. I can stagger here, but not this one. It can't be wrong. We can only go through that place.

Huang Qinggong: I remember when we were stuck in the car, we couldn't get through. After that, we got off the bus. I'll get the wire rope from the car, drag it back and hang it. Anyway, it was pure at that time, that is to say, it was like whipping in the New Year. I didn't think so much at that time, but I didn't feel anything. Anyway, I just carry wood, such thick wood and steel wire rope.

Commentary: With the passage of time, Ding Xian couldn't wait any longer, so he had to sacrifice the tank and fill the sunken tanker into the river, and the subsequent tanks pushed it forward.

Ding Xian: Finally, we put one of our tanks in, put a car in the river, and then other vehicles passed along the track of this tank. In this way, we didn't cross the river until four or five o'clock in the afternoon, and then we went to Dongxi from Songshan, which delayed us for one day.

Commentary: The original task was to insert 80 kilometers in three hours, but it only took a whole day to push a few kilometers and lost a tank. This is the performance of the 42nd Army Tank Regiment led by Ding Xian on the first day of fighting. Of course, it is not only the harsh natural conditions that hinder them, but also the ubiquitous Vietnamese firepower has become another huge obstacle to their progress.

Ding Xianxian: As far as Vietnam's tactics are concerned, it actually uses a guerrilla tactic. That tactic is to send a small anti-tank force, which is not that big. Even by blocking and destroying roads one after another, it is difficult to realize this thing at a high speed. Why, you can't open this road, you can only go that way, and you can go anywhere else.

Hu Yungui: 1966, we helped it fight the United States on the front line of the War of Resistance Against America. Thirteen years of change, thirteen years of fighting with the United States. It has a good set of national offensive and defensive facilities in the mainland, and it is very systematic. So we'd better pay attention to this.

Zhu An: I think I've seen a movie. Regular troops fight like regular troops. As soon as you hit it, it's gone I don't know where it went. All the people are in the cave. There are more than a dozen regular soldiers in the cave. Vietnamese soldiers are there. If you can't come out, you will be killed.

Commentary: Vietnamese are all soldiers. From the beginning, Ding Xian and his tank regiment caused great trouble.

The vigilante group looks like our security team in China. It seems that a 13-year-old (child) knocked out three tanks of our regiment, and the Soviet Union gave him the hail rocket launcher, which can be picked up. A person can carry 30 bullets. When it hits the tank, it will produce high temperature and high pressure, detonating the shells inside the tank.

Huang Qinggong: Guerrilla warfare has always been a trump card of China's * * * production party army. Later, in the era of comrades and brothers, the China army gave this tactic to the Vietnamese. Up to now, the soldiers who participated in the Vietnam War have to admit that the Vietnamese soldiers at that time really learned all the essence of guerrilla warfare, and the complex mountainous area across the mountain is indeed a natural and excellent place to implement guerrilla tactics. Ding Zai, head of the 42nd Army Tank Regiment, is a veteran who grew up from the Liberation War, but even after the baptism of the war, he later admitted that he was really beaten on the first day. Later, he, he and his troops had to adjust their mentality to face the war again. At the same time tomorrow, continue to pay attention to the bumpy fate of the tank regiment.